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As I come to my mat, I inhale my thoughts: “The eye orbit consists of which bones?” “I have 3 assignments due by midnight.” “I work at 5 on Thursday.” Then I exhale, bringing myself to my practice and letting go of the stress.

I picked up yoga and a few other activities last year after speaking with a co-worker, Dr. Michelle Pearson (North Carolina ‘03). She saw me become restless and drained at work as the months passed, and she shared with me the importance of taking time for yourself.

Xylitol was introduced to the world of dentistry in the late 20th century. But even before that, it was used as a sweetener in many parts of the world. In dentistry, many studies have shown potential benefits of xylitol in caries prevention and plaque formation. Streptococcus mutans, a type of caries-causing bacteria, requires sugar to proliferate. But studies such as this one have shown that it cannot use xylitol for energy production and will eventually die when exposed to it. Xylitol also weakens the adhesion of plaque-causing microorganisms and thereby helps in preventing plaque formation.

After working as an associate for a couple of years, you’ll start thinking seriously about whether to become an independent practice owner or remain an employee for your career. This is a personal decision and there really isn’t a right or wrong answer, unless you make the decision based on bad information. I’ve heard dental students and recent grads share a few misconceptions over the years about what it’s like for those who choose to become business owners. I’d like to set the record straight here. Here are the three biggest myths about owning a practice.

President and CEO of OHA, Beth Truett, emphasizes the importance of good oral health habits, and encourages the children to take their new knowledge back home and get everyone in the household engaged in good oral health practices on a daily basis.

A few weeks ago I had a unique opportunity to step back from the demands of being a dental student to participate in an exciting community event. I met with an energetic class of first graders from a local NYC public school, P.S. 142, for their Fall for Healthy Smiles Brush-a-Thon, an annual educational campaign through New York University’s Pediatric Dentistry Clinic, Oral Health America (OHA) and NY State Assemblyman Brian Kavanagh.

As we all know, getting into dental school takes a lot of time, money and hard work. We all have varying amounts of experience assisting and doing community service and research. We have to have a good GPA and DAT score. But applying as an international student or foreign-trained dentist presents its own set of challenges. Schools often look for more diversity, but sometimes it can be hard to present ourselves as effectively on paper as we can in person.

How can you stand out? Here are some tips to help make yourself more competitive.

Day and night, you’re focused on learning so that you can become a capable, compassionate dentist. But, there’s more involved with being a successful dentist than providing excellent care. Personal and practice financial management is a vital part of building a career in dentistry – and allowing you to lead the life you imagined.

General dentists often perform many procedures on a tight schedule. This can inadvertently shift their priorities towards alleviating what feels like a disorganized day. When you’re pressed for time, noting whether a tooth has active decay or simply a stained but arrested cavitation may seem simple enough. But, in the context of documentation, it’s easy to forget just how crucial this information this can be in a court of law. In our rush to get into clinic, obtain a start check and finish a procedure in the allotted appointment time, many of us become guilty of failing to fully explain the contents of consent forms to patients. As a result, patients often do not fully understand what they’re signing for. Unfortunately, developing this bad habit early on in your dental career can have terrible consequences in private practice, especially when treatment complications arise that were not adequately explained to the patient from the very beginning.